Return of the Ninjetti
by miss nic
Summary: What do you get when a veteran pink ranger leads a team of inexperienced teenagers with the weight of the world resting on their shoulders? Read and find out!
1. Prologue

**Author's Note: Co-written with SunsetBabe17!**

**Disclaimer: Don't anything belong to PR!**

Kim walked inside her empty one-bedroom apartment. With a huff, she threw her white oversized bag onto a nearby coffee table. Sinking into her plush pink armchair, she ran a hand through her long layers of caramel locks. After the Pan-Globals were over, she was pretty much done with competing and decided to let her hair grow out. It had been an exhausting day at the gym. Her class of five-year-olds was a little rambunctious today. As she bent over to slip off her shoes, Kimberly Hart disappeared out of her apartment in a shower of pink sparkles.

As the bright pink lights faded, Kimberly landed on her butt in what she found to be an all too familiar place. Glancing around she took in the pillars of stone and a fire pit that looked like it hadn't been used in a while.

"Guess I can leave my shoes on," Kim muttered, as she stood up.

"I thought gymnasts were supposed to land on their feet?" A voice rang out from her left. Kim turned and her eyes landed on a familiar face.

"Dulcea!" Kim cried, and with a sudden burst of energy she ran over to the older woman and wrapped her arms around her. "You know, it's been a while since I've teleported," she told her, pulling away.

"Not that it's not good seeing you and all…" Kim trailed off, "but why am I here?"

"King Scion and his army of warriors are headed for Earth," Dulcea declared.

"Who's King Scion?" Kim questioned, her brows drawn together in confusion.

"He is an Evil Warlord," she began gravely, "him and his army have taken and ravaged several planets in the galaxy already," Dulcea explained.

"So…that still doesn't explain what I'm doing here," Kim stated nervously, sensing what was coming.

Dulcea shot a guilty look her way, not happy to be disrupting the woman's life when she already did her part to protect the world.

"I need you to become a ranger once a gain and lead a new team against this evil."

"Why me?" Kim gasped out, "I mean, surely there are others much better suited to this task: Jason or Tommy…"

Dulcea interrupted her, "Kimberly, you were hand chosen by Zordon and once held the power of the Ninjetti."

Kim found her way out and pounced on it, "I'm no longer a Ninjetti. I gave my power to Kat."

"That is true, Kimberly, but only you possess the power of the Crane. It is your spirit animal; Katherine was never fully one with the Crane. So you still have your powers, your spirit animal will never leave you." Kim's smile turned into a frown at this.

"Also, Kimberly, I sense that you are just wandering in life, looking for a greater purpose. And now I present you with that greater purpose. Your planet needs you."

"All right," Kim said, resigned to her fate, ready to take up the mantle of the Pink Ninjetti Ranger once again. "Now, where's the rest of my team?"

~*~*~

It had been a long day at work and Andy just wanted to go home. Andy Carson and his best friend, Jace Thomason, had been working at P. Sawyer's, the local music shop, since the summer before their junior year. Andy had originally started working so that he could save up for his car. He had finally made enough and bought the car, a black Jeep Cherokee. Not as flashy as he would have liked, but it did it's job. Yet, even though he bought the car, he enjoyed the work and stayed on. Plus, he needed gas money. He liked working in the music store. Most of the time. He eyed his best friend and glanced over at what was keeping them from closing the store. Three blondes were perusing through the various racks of CDs. Admittedly, Andy would normally appreciate the view and try to chat them up, but it was store policy that they had to wait until the last customers were out before they started to close. The girls were here past closing hour. Andy was supposed to be at a party. So he was very close to just kicking them out. Andy glared at Jace from behind the checkout counter.

"Alright, alright," Jace muttered, holding his hands up in the universal sign for surrender. He sauntered over to the trio, hoping to charm them out of the store. "Anything I can help you with, ladies?" He plastered a smile upon his boyish face.

"Nope, just looking," replied Melissa, picking up a copy of Beyonce's new album and looking at the back of it.

"Eww, you can't actually like that crap," Charissa grabbed the CD from Melissa's hands and put it back. "How 'bout some rock?" She said, dragging Melissa to the next genre. But before they could pick anything, the room shook. Rachel put down the CD she was looking at as Andy made his way over to the others.

"Did you all just feel that?" She asked, worried.

"Yeah…" Andy drawled, just as the room began to shake even more. "Oh no…" Andy grabbed Melissa, who was standing closest to him, and pulled her into him to cover her from the barrage of CDs raining on them from the display situated behind them.

"No, I spent all day on that!" Jace lamented as his display was ruined, all his hard work crashing down to the floor. But then a Rihanna CD clocked him in the face. "Ack!" He grabbed his nose and looked down at the perpetrator. "Never did like you, Rihanna." As the rest of the girls held their arms above their heads to prevent themselves from being hit, the room started to spin.

"Um, is this normal?" Questioned Rachel, who had thought this was just an ordinary earthquake common to California.

"I don't think so," Charissa answered, making her way over to stand next to Rachel.

"What's happening?" Melissa cried as the five were sucked out of the room in a brilliant flash of colorful lights.


	2. Welcome to Phaedos

**Author's Note: Co-written with SunsetBabe17! Italics in this chapter are Kim's memories.**

**Disclaimer: Don't anything belonging to PR!**

THUD! The five teens all landed on their butts on some plateau that appeared to be in the middle of nowhere.

"Whoa…" Andy exclaimed as he stood up and helped Melissa up who had fallen on top of him.

"Sorry," she blushed a little, embarrassed.

"Don't worry about it. We didn't exactly plan our landing," Andy smiled and brushed it off.

"Where are we?" Rachel asked, biting her lip, nervous.

Charissa brushed herself off and looked around, they appeared to be in the middle of a jungle.

"Your team," Dulcea declared to Kim, who just gave the teens a once over and muttered,

"Oh boy."

Upon hearing this the teens jumped and spun around startled, even more puzzled by the woman's strange get up.

"Who are you and where are we?" Jace demanded.

Kim looked to Dulcea, wondering if she was going to explain or if the task would fall on her shoulders.

"Welcome to Phaedos," Dulcea started, "I am Dulcea, Master Warrior of the Ninjetti."

"What?!" Rachel exclaimed.

"That's one hefty title…" Jace muttered to Andy, who elbowed him.

"Are we still on Earth?" Melissa asked.

"Quiet!" Dulcea commanded, regaining their attention, "let me finish. An evil warlord, King Scion, is looking to take over Earth. He and his army have taken over many planets and galaxies and he is looking to add Earth to that list."

"Point?" Andy questioned.

"So what are we doing here?" Jace wanted tol know.

"You need to become Power Rangers and protect your planet," Dulcea explained.

"Power Rangers!" Charissa exclaimed in shock.

"Who's she?" Jace asked, indicating the silent woman.

Kim stepped forward, "I'll be your leader and pink ranger. I"d rather not tell you my identity until you agree to become rangers."

"Wait, we have a choice?" Andy asked, puzzled.

"Of course," Kim said, astonished that they would think that they would force them to be rangers. "We wouldn't just thrust the power onto you. Being a ranger and saving the world is a huge responsibility that comes with many hardships. I'm not gonna lie to you, being a Power Ranger isn't easy. So it's your choice: do you want the responsibility of saving the world to be in your hands or someone else's?" Kim finished, hoping they would just say yes so she wouldn't have to go through this process again.

"Why us?" Rachel asked, curious.

"Well you could say you were in the right place at the right time or the wrong place at the wrong time. You know, whichever you prefer," Kim laughed.

"Can we have a minute to think about this?" Jace asked.

"Yes, take all the time you need," Dulcea smiled encouragingly. Kim and Dulcea went to the edge of the plateau and looked out upon the vast jungle that held the many dangers and great power, to give the teens some privacy.

"What do ya think, man?" Andy asked Jace.

"I dunno. I mean, do we really want that burden?" Jace sighed and ran his hand through his brown hair.

"Come on, I think it'll be fun," Andy stated with a gleam in his eyes. "Plus, do we really want to leave the world's fate in someone else's hands?" He got a little more serious now.

That won Jace over, "Alright. I'm in if you are."

"Alright," Andy stuck out his fist and Jace met him halfway and they bumped fists.

In the meantime, the three girls were having a conversation of their own. Melissa began, "Whatever we decide, we do it together, okay?"

"Right," Charissa nodded.

"Definitely," Rachel agreed.

"So…" Melissa trailed off, not sure what to say.

"I say we do it," Rachel started, "We must have been chosen for a reason, like fate or maybe it's our destiny."

"Shut up, Rachel," Charissa smacked her on the arm.

"Ow, what was that for?" Rachel asked, rubbing her arm where Charissa had smacked her.

"Enough of that nonsense," Charissa exclaimed and Melissa rolled her eyes at the two.

"Whatever, back to the subject at hand; do we save Earth from total destruction or die in the process and have Earth conquered anyway or just stay out of it?"

"Well, when you put it that way," Charissa glared at Melissa.

"On the other hand, how many people do you know that can say they've saved the world? Don't you think this is something worth fighting for?" Rachel argued.

After some more conversing, the teens walked up to Kim and Dulcea. Kim cut them off before they had a chance to speak, "Before you say anything, just know that we won't think any less of you if you decide to walk away." They all nodded their understanding.

"We'll do it," Jace spoke for Andy and himself.

The three girls looked at each other, and then Charissa spoke up, "We're in too."

Following the teens' agreement, Dulcea led the group of six over to the unlit pit of fire in the middle of the clearing.

"So, when do we get our awesome ranger powers?" Asked Jace, anxiously. Dulcea walked over to the pit and set it ablaze. Retrieving a small pouch she spoke.

"First, we must awaken your guides." Rachel threw Charissa a quizzical glance, who just shrugged in return.

"Guides?" Questioned Melissa.

"Come, come, stand before me," Dulcea gestured in front of the fire. The teens followed Kim, as she stood where she once stood years ago to first awaken her ninjetti animal spirit. As Dulcea spoke familiar words, Kim was awash with memories.

"Buried deep within each of us is an animal spirit, waiting to be released. Close your eyes and look deep inside." Kim remembered being skeptical at first, all those years ago. She had glanced at Billy for reassurance. Being the last two remaining members of the original team it seemed fitting that they stood by each others side. This time around she did not need any reassurance. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes, ready to once again embrace the crane.

Andy threw Jace a skeptical look, and the blondes all looked at each other, but taking one look at Kim, who stood there serenely with her eyes all ready closed, they followed her lead.

Dulcea took the, what Rocky had once affectionately labeled, "magic dust," from her pouch and gently blew a handful into the fire, watching as it blazed blue. A warm glow enveloped those who stood before her.

Kim opened her eyes, comforted to see the familiar pink of her ninja suit. She gingerly caressed the crane etched on her gold emblem. She took in the sight of the rest of her team, gazing in wonder at their new outfits. She remembered doing the same thing the first time around.

"Whoa," breathed Rachel, looking up from her white gloves to smile at her best friends and take in their new suits, wondering what the pictures on them stood for.

They all stood to attention as Dulcea came to stand before them. As Dulcea went down the ranks, Kim remembered the team that had once stood in their places. Dulcea approached the girl in blue first.

"Charissa," she gazed at the young girl whose bright eyes shone with wonder, "clever and playful, but with a hidden fierceness, you are the dolphin."

***

_Stopping in front of the yellow clad girl, Dulcea spoke. "Aisha, you are the bear. Fierce and unstoppable." The young girl smiled shyly._

***

Dulcea then moved on to Rachel. "Young Rachel. Full of innocent strength, you are the powerful polar bear." The blonde beamed at the older woman, clutching at the emblem on her chest.

***

_Moving on to the boy in red, Dulcea addressed the teen. "Rocky. Powerful, smart. You are the mighty ape." He grinned and looked across to his best friend, who didn't look so happy._

_***_

"Melissa," Dulcea eyed the teen in yellow, "curious about the world around you and full of energy, you are the jubilant kangaroo." Melissa chuckled quietly, blue eyes sparkling.

***

_Dulcea came to a standstill in front of one of Kim's oldest friends. "Billy, you are the wolf, cunning and swift." He smiled widely, and turned to look at Kim._

_***_

Dulcea came now to Andy, who donned the color black. "Brave Andy. You are the panther, the hidden threat of the jungle." Andy smirked. Kim remembered that that was where she once stood.

***

_Dulcea came up to the petite brunette. "Agile Kimberly. Light as a feather, you are the crane." Kim touched her emblem and smiled up at the warrior._

_***_

"Jace." Dulcea chuckled as she watched the boy grab at his red robes, trying to see the gold emblem.

"Sorry, I just can't tell what my animal is…" he said sheepishly. She smiled softly at the young boy.

"It's a coyote. Jace, you are the coyote, courageous and cunning."

***

_Dulcea stepped over to the somber boy in black. "Adam, Adam, what's wrong?"_

"_I'm a frog," he grumbled. She laughed._

"_Yes, like the one you kiss," she leaned forward to kiss him on the forehead, "to get a handsome prince." The Korean blushed, turning to look at their leader._

_***_

"As graceful and as beautiful as ever, Kimberly," Dulcea began as she came to the veteran Pink Ranger, "you have come back stronger and wiser than before. You are no longer that naïve little girl. May the crane guide you and help you find what it is you seek." With those words came the memory of the man she once held so dear.

***

_Dulcea stood before the White Ranger. "And you, Tommy, are the falcon, winged lord of the skies." He sent a small smile Kim's way._

_***_

Kim smiled at the fond memories, a little sad about the distance that had grown between her and the friends she was once so close with.

Dulcea stepped back to address the group as a whole.

"To be in harmony with the sacred animal spirits is to have the force of the ninjetti. To those who are Ninjetti, anything is possible." She turned away from them to point out the monolith in the distance. "Now you must travel through the jungle to the monolith, where you will find the great power." The five teens stared in fear. Dulcea smiled. "The strength is inside you, trust it." Kim smiled, drawing comfort from the familiar words. "Your sacred animals will be your guide."

As the teens left the plateau, following behind Kimberly, Dulcea prayed for them.

"May your animal spirits watch over you."


	3. Enter the Jungle Part 1

**Author's Note: Co-written with SunsetBabe17! This chapter is turning out to be a lil long so we decided to split it into 2. so heres the first part!**

**Disclaimer: Don't anything belong to PR!**

Kim led her new team into the Neola Jungle. Andy sidled up beside her, "You do know where we're going right?"

"It's been years since I've been here."

"That's fine. We're looking for a huge rock, we shouldn't miss it," Jace reassured as he walked to the front of the group as Kim trailed behind lost in memories of the past.

"It sure is hot out here," Rachel wiped the sweat from her brow.

"Hey, at least you're wearing white. I'm wearing black which absorbs the heat," Andy complained, pulling at his uncomfortable uniform.

"Whoa," Charissa jumped back as the ground in front of her gave out. Unfortunately Jace wasn't so lucky and fell to the bottom of the pit. The others rushed to the edge of the pit.

"Jace!"

"Hang on man!"

"Someone find a vine or something we can use to pull him up," Kim ordered. Rachel and Charissa ran off into the jungle in search of something to use as rope.

"Don't worry Jace, we'll get you out," Melissa shouted and put a comforting hand on Andy's shoulder who was desperately trying to catch a glimpse of his best friend. But the pit was too deep and all he could see was blackness.

Jace shook his head, trying to get his bearings after his fall. It was dark in the pit, but the sun glinted off something on the ground.

Jace bent down and grabbed it, and his world spun out of focus. He was standing over a woman who was pale and lying in a bed with several monitors hooked up to her. Upon closer inspection Jeace realized that the woman was Kimberly and standing with him were Andy, Melissa, Charissa, and Rachel. Sirens could be heard in the background.

"What are we gonna do now?" Charissa asked, and all eyes turned to Jace. He began to panic. He wasn't the leader, Kim was.

Jace took a deep breath to calm his nerves, "Alright, here's what we're gonna do. Charissa, Rachel you two are gonna get the antidote while the rest of us fight the monster." He didn't even understand the words that came tumbling out of his mouth, they just felt right.

"Got it." And everyone went to do as they were told.

Jace reached out a lightly touched Kim's hand, "Don't worry, we'll get that antidote," he then turned and followed after his team.

After defeating the monster, they rushed back to base to see Kim awake with a beaming smile adorning her features.

"You did it guys, I knew you would." They all crushed Kim in a team hug.

Jace's world spun again and snapped back into focus where he was once again sitting at the bottom of a ditch.

"Whoa," Jace opened his hand and a gold coin rested inside with a coyote etched upon its surface. A red light lit up the ditch and Jace looked up to see a coyote. It was more of a spiritual being, just a red outline.

"See young pup, you are capable of leading a team to victory."

"But I'm not the leader, Kim is. But I'm Red and isn't Red the leader?" Jace asked his spirit animal.

"Yes, that is usually the case, but there have been several instances in which red has followed another color. For instance, the first Red Ranger of Earth started out as the leader, but then was second in command under the White Ranger. And the second Earth Red Ranger followed the White Ranger. Also, the Pink Time Force Ranger led the team instead of the Red Ranger."

"Oh," Jace didn't know that.

"Though you are not the leader, you are still an important part of the team, Jace."

"Yeah, I know and plus I don't have to make the hard decisions," Jace laughed and the coyote shimmered out of existence.

"Jace, grab onto the vine and we'll pull you up," Kim called down. Jace stood up and saw the vine. Before grabbing onto it though he slipped the gold coin, which was on a chain, over his neck and tucked it safely under his gi.

Jace pulled himself onto the rope and the others yanked him out of the pit. He dusted himself off and squinted at the sudden brightness.

"You okay, man?" Andy looked at him imploringly.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Jace debated over whether or not he should tell them what happened. "Actually, I found this," and Jace showed them the gold coin.

Everyone gathered around to look at it. Kim gasped, "That's a power coin."

"What?" Rachel asked, puzzled.

"It's a power coin. It filters the power from the Morphing Grid to the user. It's a power source," Kim explained, remembering parts of Billy's explanation from years ago.

"Wait, how do you know about all of this?" Charissa questioned, wary.

"Yeah, who are you aside from Kimberly Hart, world famous gymnast?" Melissa asked, backing up her friend.

"I was the first Pink Power Ranger of Earth," Kim admitted, eyes downcast, waiting for their reaction.

"That's so cool!" Jace exclaimed.

"Why didn't you tell us before?" Andy asked.

"But I thought you were just a Ninjetti," Charissa accused.

Kim shrugged, "We lost our powers and came here to get new ones."

"So why are you on this journey with us if you already have powers?" Rachel wondered.

"I gave them up," Kim sighed, wishing that she still had her power coin with her instead of giving it to Kat.

"But-"

"Look I don't wanna talk about it," Kim interrupted Andy. She turned and started up their trek through the jungle again. The other five all looked at each other and shrugged, following behind their leader.

"Great! Now what?" Charissa threw her hands up in exasperation as she saw that the bridge to the river they were supposed to cross was missing. It seemed like they were never going to get to the monolith.

But Kim just kept on walking until she reached a tree that had fallen and conveniently spanned the width of the river. As she jumped onto the log the others stopped, unsure of this course of action.

"You have got to be kidding me," Charissa deadpanned.

"It's the only way to get across," Kimberly shrugged and started walking across.

"You know we're not all world class gymnasts," Charissa continued her rant.

"It's wider than a balance beam," Kim reassured.

"Yeah, but a lot higher," Andy leaned over to check out the drop. He then climbed onto the log after Kim with Jace one step ahead of him.

"How else are we gonna get across?" Melissa pointed out and joined her team along with Rachel. Charissa reluctantly followed.

Kim basically skipped along the log, making it look like she did it every day. Then, she hopped off as she waited for the others to finish. Jace landed beside her, "Whoo," he shook out his tense muscles, "that was…" he struggled for a word to describe what he had just experienced.

"Exhilarating," Kim offered, she had missed the adrenaline rush from her Ranger days.

"Uh, sure," Jace shot her a look, wondering how anyone could find any joy walking on a log feet above rushing water when you could plunge to your death with a single misstep.

Andy jumped off next, and turned around to help the girls down. Melissa let out her first calm, steady breath since she stepped onto the log.

At that moment a strong gust of wind blew by, causing the remaining Ranger on the log to lose her balance. Andy lunged for her, but he was too late as Charissa plummeted into the raging river below.

"Charissa!" Melissa and Rachel shouted as they ran to the edge of the precipice. The Rangers waited with baited breath as the water settled a little, hoping that Charissa would surface.

"Where is she?" Melissa asked, frantic.

"She should have come up for air by now," Rachel agreed.

The breath was knocked out of her as the cold water consumed her. She was knocked around by the current so much that she no longer knew which way was up or down. Her lungs burned for oxygen, but when she tried to surface the current just pushed her back down.

A shiny object in the distance caught her attention and she tried to swim towards it. Upon closer inspection she realized that it was a gold coin. A power coin! She grabbed it, and all the pain went away as she took in a deep breath.

She glanced down at herself, she was wearing blue jeans and a baby blue t-shirt. Where were her Ninjetti robes? And why wasn't she drenched after her swim in the river?

Charissa didn't have much time to think about those oddities as she was grabbed roughly from behind, and she tensed as she felt the cool blade on her bare neck.

"Hand over your power coins, or I'll slit her throat," the assailant growled. Charissa started struggling in his grasp. She began to panic as the blade nicked her skin, and a thin line of blood appeared on her neck. How could she leave her life in the hands of people she just met? Would they give up all that power for her?

Suddenly everything came to a standstill, it was as if time stopped. Then, a brilliant blue light appeared in the middle of the field. Charissa squirmed, attempting to get free.

"Relax, stop struggling," her head shot up, and she noticed that a blue dolphin was now standing in the field where the blue light had been moments ago.

"Wha… Who err what are you?" Charissa questioned, uncertain as to what was going on.

"I'm your spirit animal, your guide," the dolphin explained.

"Ok, so get me out of here," Charissa demanded.

"That is not the point of this journey," the dolphin shook its head.

"Well then what is?" Charissa was getting frustrated.

"You need to trust your teammates."

"But I-"

"No, have faith that they will save you," the dolphin interrupted her. Charissa sighed and nodded.

She blinked rapidly as the dolphin disappeared and time began again.

"Fine, you win," Jace powered down and began to hand the monster his power coin, but at the last second he pulled it back and the monster was hit by an arrow from behind and his grip loosened. Jace quickly brought his leg up and kicked the dabber, sending it flying across the field.

Charissa fell to her knees as she grabbed her neck and took a deep breath. She looked up to find Jace with his hand out. Grasping his hand she let him help her up as she glared at him.

"What, didn't you trust me?" Jace grinned and the world spun out of focus as Charissa found herself back underwater. But she was no longer alone as she grabbed onto the dolphin's fin and swam ashore.

"Charissa!" The team raced down to her. She started coughing and Melissa began to rub her back soothingly.

"Are you ok?" Rachel asked.

She nodded, "Yeah," she was a bit breathless still. She opened her hand and she saw the gold coin resting in her palm, so it hadn't been a hallucination.

With Melissa's help she got to her feet, "I found this," she held up the coin, dangling from a chain for them to see. The sun glinted off of it.

"I guess we're all gonna find one," Andy shrugged and Kim silently if she would because she had given hers to Kat. As they moved to continue with their journey, Jace and Charissa caught each others eye, wondering if the other had gone through a similar ordeal to receive their power coin. But no words were spoken.

"I'm gonna laugh when you fall, Andy," Melissa said as she watched Adny walk precariously on an outcropping with a pit of mud below. The rest of them had chosen a path that was more out of the way, but easier to navigate.

"I'm not gonna fall," Andy huffed and brushed her off. Then, SPLASH, the others laughed as Andy stood up, dripping mud.

"You know brown and black don't really mix," Melissa joked.

"Oh yeah! Well guess what brown and yellow do," Andy lunged for Melissa who shrieked.

"Don't you dare!" She giggled and ran as Andy gave chase.

Kimberly shook her head at their playful banter, it was obvious they didn't realize the burden that they had taken upon their shoulders.

The ground started to shake and rocks pelted down from the sky above.

"Look out!" Kim shouted as she ducked and put her hands protectively over her head.

Once everything was calm, Kim stood up, "Everyone alright?"

"Melissa!" Andy shouted and the team raced over to their fallen comrade. Kim's brows furrowed in confusion when there was no visible sign of injury.

Then, Jace reached over to Melissa's clenched fist and opened it. In the center of her palm, was a power coin.

"She must be on her journey," Jace surmised. Everyone aside from Charissa had a confused look on their face.

"What?" Kim asked, angered at the fact that her 'teammates' hadn't mentioned this to her, their leader.

"Once we found our coin," Charissa took some of the heat off Jace, "we had to, um, earn it." She explained as best she could.

"So what do we do?" Andy asked, worried as he cushioned Melissa's head in his lap.

"We wait," Jace stated.

"Hello, Melissa," a kangaroo outlined in yellow greeted her.

"Where am I?" She looked around in confusion, it seemed to be a black vacuum of space. There were no other occupants aside from herself and the kangaroo.

"You want to be a Power Ranger, correct?" The kangaroo ignored her.

She shrugged, "Yeah, I guess," she didn't really know where the kangaroo was going with this.

"But there is something holding you back."

"No there isn't," she shook her head.

"But there is," the kangaroo replied.

"Well, what is it then," Melissa was getting frustrated with the kangaroo's responses that held no answers.

"You are afraid," the kangaroo stated simply as if it was obvious.

"Afraid of what?" Melissa cried.

"You know."

"No I…" she thought back to her conversation with Rachel and Charissa before they agreed to become Power Rangers.

"Sometimes sacrifice is necessary," the kangaroo said as it saw the light dawn in Melissa's eyes.

"But I don't want to die," Melissa said softly.

Color then filtered into the empty space and shapes began to form. A battle was taking place all around her. Brightly colored warriors were fighting around her, Power Rangers, her friends. A flash of pink caught her eye as Kim was forcibly de-morphed.

Time seemed to slow as the monster advanced towards the powerless Ranger. Melissa looked around to see that no one even noticed, they all had their hands full with monsters of their own. They couldn't lose Kim, the team needed her. She was the only one that knew what they were doing.

Melissa realized that she was running without even consciously thinking about it, and before the sword descended upon the fallen leader she jumped in front of her and took the blow. She screamed in agony as the blood gushed from her wound. Her vision became blurry, and the kangaroo appeared before her again as she struggled to breathe.

"You have faced your fear. It was more important that Kim lead the team to victory, to save the world. You sacrificed yourself in order to save your planet." Her world went black as she couldn't take in anymore air.

All of a sudden Melissa's eyes popped open and she gasped for air, holding her stomach.

"It's alright, you're ok," Charissa reassured her as she saw the panic in her eyes. Melissa closed her eyes and laid her head back down as she tried to calm her erratic breathing.

Melissa got up with Andy's help and stood on shaky legs, "Lets go."

"Are you sure you're ok?" Kim asked, wondering what her journey had been. Melissa just nodded and linked arms with Charissa and Rachel. She was still in shock and numb from 'dying'. It had felt so real and she wanted her friends close. Rachel and Charissa went along with it, sharing a worried glance.

They hiked on in silence. The scenery began to change from the rocky, desert terrain to a lushous green forest. The trees loomed high overhead and the setting sun was a fiery red.

Kimberly began to recognize her surroundings as she caught sight of the bones of the extinct dinosaurs.

"Welcome to Jurassic Park," Andy exclaimed. Kim whirled around and for a moment instead of Andy she saw a boy with curly black hair and a shy smile.

"What did you say?"

"I-"

"Look out!" Jace shouted as one of the dinosaurs came to life.

"Damnit," Kimberly cursed herself for getting distracted and lowering her guard, she should've expected this. After all, it happened last time.

Rachel dove out of the way as it charged towards her, "What do we do?"

Charissa ducked as the tail swung overhead.

Andy threw a bone at it, which caused the revitalized dinosaur to change direction and run at Andy. His eyes widened, "Oh shit!"

As the dinosaur chased Andy, Kimberly quickly thought of a plan. Climbing a tree she yelled to Andy, "Steer him this way."

Instead of wasting his breath in reply, Andy just nodded and ran towards Kimberly, trusting that she knew what she was doing. Once the dinosaur was directly beneath her, she let herself drop. She landed on its back and hung on tight.

"Alright, now how did Tommy do this," she muttered to herself.

Meanwhile the dinosaur kept chasing Andy, paying no heed to the passenger on its back, "A little help here! I can't keep this up all day."

At that point Jace smashed a bone against its jaw. His weapon just shattered upon impact, "Well, that didn't work," he grumbled as the dinosaur set its sights on him.

"Got it," Kim found the bone and pulled it out, not quite remembering the end result as she fell amidst a pile of bones. The others ran to help her, but as Rachel reached for her, her hand found its way to a gold coin instead and she grasped it. Once she did, however, she collapsed.

"Not again," Andy sighed.

Rachel looked around at the white space, "This must be my journey."

"You are correct, young cub," a polar bear appeared before her.

"So what am I supposed to do?" Rachel asked, ready to get this over with.

"What troubles you?" The bear took a seat in front of her so she sat down as well and thought about it.

"I'm afraid that we won't be able to do it. That we'll lose and Earth will be taken over," Rachel admitted.

"And I am here to tell you not to worry. The Power Rangers have never failed before," the bear grinned.

"There's a first time for everything," Rachel replied.

"True, but if you fail there are others that will take up the mantle. You are not alone." Rachel still wasn't fully convinced.

"Let me show you."

There were five Power Rangers standing before a dinosaur.

"I call upon the power of the gem!" And a huge blast struck the monster, destroying him.

Then, a beam of red, blue, and yellow energy knocked the evil ninja into the Abyss of Evil.

Multicolored beams of light from the Wild Zords and the Rangers' weapons hit Master Org who was then defeated.

The girl in a weird white outfit handcuffed the mutant, signaling the end of his reign of terror.

With a flying kick from the Red Ranger, the demon was sent back into the tomb. The tomb was sealed behind her.

The Red Ranger grabbed the green monster with his weapon and shot her at point blank range, sending her into oblivion.

The Power Rangers morphed on the rooftop and battled with the robots. The civilians helped them, when all of a sudden a golden wave passes and the Rangers de-morphed. The shop landed and a man came out, carrying a woman.

The Power Rangers grew to Megazord size and defeated the robot king.

Six teens stood in a circle each with a hand in the middle, one on top of the other. Then, they threw their hands in the air and jumped in celebration. One girl looked like a younger version of Kimberly.

Everything went white again, "Wow," was all she could say.

"So you see, Power Rangers don't make it a habit of losing," the polar bear laughed and Rachel was transported back to her body with the comforting reassurance that they had a good chance of winning this war.

Rachel came to and saw the others standing around her.

"Welcome back to the land of the living," Andy laughed until Melissa smacked him on the arm,

"That's not funny."

"Shall we continue," Kim tried to ease the tension of the moment.

Rachel dusted herself off, "How did you know what to do?"

"It happened last time," Kim explained.

"Oh."

As the sun descended and its last rays were extinguished, a full moon took its place. It lit up the night sky and a bitter wind ripped through the air.

"Maybe we should make camp for the night," Jace rubbed his hands together, trying to warm them up.

"Yeah, who knows what lies ahead. But whatever it is, it would definitely be better to confront it in the daylight," Rachel agreed, looking around the dark forest.

"Alright, lets go to that clearing," Kim pointed to an open area a little ways off. Andy and Jace went off to get some wood to start a fire.

"Here we go," Andy dumped the firewood in the middle of their circle. Then, everyone just stared at each other.

"Well, isn't someone gonna start the fire?" Melissa burst out in annoyance.

"Anyone got a lighter?" Everyone shook their head and Kim tried again, "A match?" the same results.

"Wait, I can do it. I was a boy scout," Jace grabbed two sticks and started rubbing them against each other vigorously.

"Oh boy," Charissa commented and everyone snickered, imagining Jace as a boy scout. Everyone leaned forward, excited as smoke rose from the makeshift fire pit. Then, it fizzled out and everyone groaned as Jace went back to work.

"Well, I don't know about anyone else, but I'm starving," Andy put a hand on his stomach as he attempted to lighten the mood after the disheartening display.

"Oh, I forgot. Dulcea gave me these," Kim pulled out something that resembled bread from a hidden pocket on her gi. She passed them out to the group.

"Uh…What is it?" Charissa asked, eyeing the food, but not eating.

"Dunno, but she said it will provide the energy we need for this journey," Kim took a bite, hoping they would follow by example. Andy shrugged and did the same. They ate their food in silence.

"Voila!" Jace shouted as a roaring fire blazed before him. He skipped over to Kim and grabbed his share of the food.

"Wow, you actually did it," Rachel looked amazed.

"Wha, you didn't think I could do it?" At least that's what they thought he said as he spoke with a mouth full of food. Everyone shook their head in the negative and laughed as Jace pouted.

Hypnotized by the dancing flames in front of them, the new team of Power Rangers reflected on how far they had come in a day. Was it really only a day? It was hard to tell though because time passed differently on Phaedos.

The five rookies laid down in the grass, close to each other to share body heat during the cold night. Unbeknownst to them, Kimberly sat wide awake, watching over her young charges.

Andy tossed and turned, unable to sleep as doubts and uncertainties plagued his mind. Everyone else had found their power coin, and he assumed Kim still had hers. But he didn't find his. Did that mean he isn't meant to be a Power Ranger?

In the middle of the night, Jace got up and went into the woods, nature was calling. When he came back, he noticed Kim was still awake, just sitting by the fire. So he went down and sat next to her.

"I can take second watch, you should get some rest."

"No, I'm fine," she shook her head.

"C'mon, you know the team is relying on you. We can't follow a leader that is exhausted," Jace reasoned. Kim inwardly sighed, he had a point there.

"Oh alright," she stood up and made a little spot in the grass for her to sleep, away from the rest of the team. Kim wrapped her arms around herself as she shivered and promptly fell asleep due to her long day.

Jace glanced over at her as he stoked the flames. She was curled into a little ball, trying to keep warm. Taking off his gi top he made his way over to her and laid it on top of her like a blanket. Kim pulled it in tight, embracing the warmth it provided.

Jace went back and sat down in front of the fire, just staring at the burning embers. Ever since he was a little kid he loved fire, his mom called him a pyromaniac.


	4. Enter the Jungle Part 2

**Author's Note: Co-written with SunsetBabe17!**

**Disclaimer: Don't own anything belonging to PR!**

As the sun rose, Jace doused the fire and as his teammates started to stir he went to a stream nearby to clean up a bit. Once he finished pulling on his wife beater, he was hit in the chest with his red gi top and he quickly caught it.

"Thanks," he looked up and saw Kim and grinned.

"What are friends for?"

"We're teammates, not friends." Jace frowned as she walked away.

Jace rejoined the group as they were staring at the huge monolith. It still looked so far away, yet they were a lot closer than they were yesterday. Then, without a word Kim entered the jungle again and the rest wordlessly followed.

Jace grinned as he walked in front of Andy and pulled back the branch that he had just passed and let go. _SMACK!_

"Hey, you did that on purpose," Andy cried in outrage as Jace began to flee the scene. Andy gave chase and soon caught up to Jace, jumping on his back and knocking the other boy to the ground. The two rolled around laughing as they jokingly fought one another.

With the red and black blurs as all that was distinguishable of the two it was easy for Kim to imagine that they were Rocky and Adam. The Red and Black Rangers had been the best of friends and it was fitting that on her new team the tradition would continue.

"Knock it off you two," Charissa admonished, not seeing how they could be so childish when they were on a journey to receive powers so that they could save the world.

The two boys then stood up and brushed the dirt and leaves off that had accumulated on their Ninjetti robes. With sheepish grins they continued on. Kim began to lag behind as she was lost in memories of days gone by. The new Rangers charged ahead with a vigor and innocence that Kim had shed many years ago.

The Rangers soon found themselves climbing up a rocky hill, going from one ledge to the next. Andy led the way, having the most experience with rock climbing, the girls followed behind him and Jace and Kim brought up the rear. The four in front climbed to the next ledge with ease, but when Jace reached up he found that he couldn't reach.

"Hey, a little help here," Jace called to the four that were continuing their climb, not realizing that the last two hadn't followed.

"What's wrong, Jace?" Andy laughed as Jace glared at him with a look that said Andy knew exactly what the problem was.

"Well, are you gonna help us or not?" Jace seethed, now was not the time for Andy to poke fun at him yet again for being short. It was embarrassing enough that the three hot girls had easily made it up and he couldn't.

"Alright, alright," Andy reached down and pulled first Jace up then Kim who was used to these types of situations after all these years. Though it was quite amusing to see someone else ridiculed for being short instead of her for a change.

Jace grumbled something incoherent under his breath as he shoved Andy who was still laughing. Shaking his head Andy led the team up the rest of the rocky mountain slope.

The team pulled themselves up the last ledge and stood at the top, taking a small breather after their climb up. Rachel shielded her eyes against the glaring sun as she looked across the jungle towards the monolith.

"How much farther do you think it is?"

"Not far. I think we should reach it by sunset," Kimberly determined. The group nodded, relieved that they would soon escape the treacherous jungle that they had found themselves in.

Charissa walked to the edge of the cliff to gaze upon the valley below. When she turned around to rejoin the group, the ground beneath her gave away. She screamed, alerting the others to her predicament as she began to freefall. But by a stroke of luck she managed to grab onto a rock outcropping that stopped her fall.

"Hold on Charissa," Jace called down to her as he got on his stomach and leaned precariously over the edge. "Grab my hand."

Charissa looked up at him and then looked down at her legs dangling in the air, with several feet between her and the ground. She tentatively stretched one arm towards his, but then she slipped and quickly grabbed onto the rock with both hands, shaking her head, "I can't".

"Yes you can," Jace encouraged her, "Trust me."

When Charissa looked back up at him, she had a flashback from her journey: _She looked up to find Jace with his hand out. Grasping his hand she let him help her up as she glared at him. _

"_What, didn't you trust me?" Jace grinned_

Charissa closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened them, she looked up at Jace with a determined look in her eye and reached out, grabbing his hand. Once he had her hand firmly in his, she brought up her other hand, gripping him tight, and Jace quickly pulled her up.

The two sat on the ground, breathing heavily after the close call.

"Thank you."

"No problem, I couldn't exactly lose a fellow Ranger before we officially became Power Rangers now could I," Jace joked, making light of the situation they had found themselves in. The rest of the team laughed, albeit a nervous laugh from some. The teenagers were beginning to realize that being Power Rangers was not all fun and games. The situations they might and probably would find themselves in could be life and death. It was a very unsettling realization, but they had already agreed to protect their world, and none of them were going to back out now. So setting their shoulders they continued on their quest for Great Power.

Andy absently kicked a rock as he lagged behind, absorbed in his thoughts. It was already midday, meaning that according to Kim's calculations they were almost there, and there was still no sign of his power coin. His mood turned sour as dark thoughts plagued his mind. What if he wasn't meant to be a Power Ranger? Was he accidentally sucked up in the teleportation beam because of his proximity to the others at the time? So absorbed was he in his thoughts that he didn't notice the vine that was protruding from the ground in front of him, and he tripped and fell on his face.

Groaning he slowly lifted his head and low and behold his power coin was sparkling in the green grass in front of him. It was like it read his thoughts and decided to finally present itself. And here he was just going to walk right passed it. It must have been fate that caused him to trip. Grinning Andy reached out and grabbed it.

He turned his hand over to get a good look at the coin and he realized it wasn't there. That's when he also realized that instead of laying on a soft bed of grass he was on a gritty, desert plane. Quickly he stood up and scanned his surroundings, but it was an endless sea of sand in all directions. Andy whirled around in a circle and began to panic.

"Guys?" All the response that he received was his own echo.

"Jace!" He tried again. "Kim! Melissa! Rachel! Charissa!"

"Anybody!" Andy began to hyperventilate as he ran around desperately trying to find his teammates. Then, Andy stumbled upon a black panther ethereal in form, just sitting there as if waiting for him. As soon as Andy approached though the panther turned and began to run.

"No! Wait! Don't leave me!" Andy shouted as he ran after the panther. Andy was panting and doubled over to catch his breath as soon as the animal stopped. He looked at the panther that was now sitting at his side, and then followed its gaze. He immediately stood up; back ramrod straight as he comprehended what was in front of him. There were five tombstones, each one bearing the name of a teammate.

He fell to his knees in despair as sobs overcame him, "No, this can't be. They left me behind. I'm all alone now," Andy continued to sob; just laying in the sand hoping death would come and claim him so that he could rejoin his teammates. The panther growled beside him.

"Let me die in peace!" Andy wailed. The panther would have none of this as it grabbed Andy's gi with its teeth and dragged the boy away. Once the tombstones were no longer in sight the panther stopped, yet Andy just sat there staring blankly at the ground. The panther smacked him across the face, his claws drawing blood.

"Ow," Andy recoiled in pain and shock, "What was that for?"

"Get over yourself, you still have a job to do," the panther finally spoke.

"What job?" Andy hissed, upset that his friends were dead and that this stupid panther wouldn't let him grieve.

"You're a Power Ranger, remember," the panther growled.

"Yeah, so?" that seemed like the right answer even though he technically hadn't gotten the power yet.

"So you need to go stop King Scion. You are the only one left standing between him and the rest of your world," Andy let the panther's words sink in _'the rest of your world'_. He looked around, this place was on Earth? It looked like a wasteland. He ran his hand through the sand by him and a small dandelion sprang to life, free from the confining sand. There was still hope, not all of the Earth was gone.

Andy stood up, wiping his eyes and squaring his shoulders. He would stop King Scion if it was the last thing he did. He nodded towards his spirit animal, "Lead the way."

With that the two began a mad sprint, this time running side by side. They appeared to be a boy and man's best friend out for a run. But they ran at a dead sprint with a fierce determination, the boy's eyes a cold steel.

As they crested the sand dune they came to a halt. Down below Andy could make out King Scion standing tall, leading his army in a march to destroy Earth. With a loud battle cry, the two ran at full speed down the hill and engaged the enemy. Andy swung a staff that had appeared in his hands out of thin air at his opponents.

The panther tore through the soldiers as if they were cardboard imitations instead of the real thing. Andy was fighting on instinct: ducking and twirling, dealing and receiving blows. All in all it looked like an intricate dance.

At some point Andy found himself lacking opponents and found their bodies littering the ground around him. Looking up, he locked eyes with King Scion. Then, with a savage cry he attacked. He showed no mercy as he beat the now defenseless king to a bloody pulp. He let out all his anger and grief over the death of his teammates.

"Enough!"

Andy immediately stopped at his spirit animal's command. Breathing heavily he looked down at King Scion and noticed that he was dead. He had just saved the world, but at what cost? His teammates were dead and they weren't coming back.

"Though you may feel left behind at times you must always go on," the panther advised.

As he began to fade away he left Andy with these parting words, "And remember you are never truly alone."

Andy found himself staring at the green grass again, and this time as he opened his hand his power coin was there. He reached his hand up to touch his face where his spirit animal had smacked him, only to feel nothing. His skin was smooth and unmarred. Looking up he saw his teammates disappearing in the distance. He quickly pushed himself up, "Hey guys wait up!" Just because he had gotten over his fear didn't mean that he wanted to be left behind anytime soon.

Kim trudged ahead of the group, knowing that they were getting close. A little while back they had all congratulated Andy on the finding of his power coin. The original pink ranger was glad that they were all excited about receiving their coins, but wondered if they were prepared for the responsibilities that came with them. This new team seemed so young, even though they were, in fact, a few years older than Kim and her original team was when they first became Power Rangers.

The rest of the group trailed behind the older woman, chatting as Andy marveled at his new coin.

"Is it just me, or does she seem a little, I don't know, distant to you?" Charissa asked, referring to the brunette ahead of them. Rachel shook her head.

"Not just you."

"Yeah, it's like she doesn't even want to be friends," Melissa piped in. "Just teammates."

"Why do you think that is?" The Blue Ranger asked. The other girls just shrugged and studied their pink comrade from afar. All of a sudden there was a noisy commotion behind them and the girls turned to see the boys rushing towards them. Jace shoved his best friend aside so that he could get the first words in.

"Well, ladies," he flashed them a winning smile as Andy rubbed his shoulder, "there seems to be some confusion that I would appreciate your help in clearing up. Would you bestow some of your great wisdom upon this poor young fool and inform him that indeed the coyote-"Andy interrupted him as he pushed passed Jace to address the trio himself,

"Which one is better: the panther or the coyote?" He paused to grin at them before continuing. "I mean, c'mon. The panther is the strong, stealthy predator of the jungle. The coyote is just a cowardly scavenger."

"Hey!" Jace protested. "I'll have you know that the coyote is very resourceful. And smart," he said, trying to defend his spirit animal. Charissa snickered.

"Then why are _you_ one?" The rest of the teen's laughed at Jace's expense as he pretended to sulk.

Kim continued on ahead of them, ignoring the conversation taking place behind her. She was blinded as the sun bounced off an object up ahead. Squinting she could make out a silver chain dangling from a tree branch and at the end of the chain was a power coin. Kim gasped and quickened her pace, widening the gap between her and her younger teammates.

She came to a halt in front of the coin. On the coins surface was a crane, obvious it was meant for her. This was different than her power coin though, hers had always had the emblem of a pterodactyl etched on its surface. She brought her hand up and reached for it, but hesitated at the last second. Her doubts coming to the forefront of her mind, was she really supposed to be doing this again? She closed her eyes, let out a breath and grabbed the power coin.

"Argh, not again," Jace rolled his eyes as the teens jogged up to their fallen leader.

"But I thought she already had her power coin?" Charissa asked, brows furrowed in puzzlement.

Rachel shrugged, "I guess there's a lot we don't know about our pink ranger."

"So now what?" Melissa asked, knowing that Kim's journey might take awhile.

The boys looked at each other and grinned. Jace propped Kim up against the tree, and the group sat in a circle together.

"Truth or Dare, Melissa?" Andy started.

Kim opened her eyes and it appeared as if she was at the entrance to the Command Center. With some effort she pushed the doors open and walked inside. It looked just as she remembered, but when she reached the end of the walkway and looked up the tube that Zordon once occupied was empty. A painful reminder, like a stab to the heart, that he was no longer with them.

After regaining her composure, she glanced around and spotted a pink crane. Walking over to it she kneeled down and stroked its feathers, taking note that its wing was broken and it could not fly.

"What happened to you?" Kim questioned.

"What happened to you?" the crane shot back.

Stunned, Kim stammered, "What do you mean?"

"I am merely a representation of how you see yourself."

"Wha-"

"Broken and useless."

"That's not how I see myself," Kim protested, but the crane just tilted its head, "Ok, maybe I do." Kim sighed and plopped down in front of the crane.

"I mean I gave up my power coin. I threw away my responsibility to the world for gymnastics. I don't deserve the power again."

"You are not the only one to have given up the power for another calling. I do believe Jason, Trini, and Zack left before you."

"Well yeah, but that was different, they were still fighting for peace just in a different way. They moved on to something important." Kim argued.

"Billy let Tanya have the Zeo crystal. And Rocky gave his powers to Justin." The crane argued back.

"But Billy stayed on to help in the Command Center and Rocky was injured."

"That may be but Tommy, Kat, Tanya, and Adam also transferred their powers to a new team."

"From what I heard they were forced to," Kim grumbled, tired of this.

"Are you not meant to have a life? Did you want to be a soldier from the age of 14 to the day you die?" The crane asked.

"No, I never wanted to be a soldier," Kim thought back to the day that Jason, Trini, Zack, Billy, and her had first been asked by Zordon to become Power Rangers and how they had all refused and walked out.

"Ok I see your point," Kim conceded, round one to the spirit guide, "but that still doesn't answer why I was chosen to lead this team, what makes me a better candidate then the others? I've never led a team before."

"You served the power for 3 years, you are one of the most experienced rangers. You also already hold the powers of the ninjetti which serve this team of Power Rangers." The crane explained.

"Tommy was a Power Ranger longer than I was, and he was also a ninjetti," Kim shot back.

"He has done his part, this is your destiny Kimberly," answered the crane.

Kim took a moment to think things over, "Fine, but if I mess up, then I'm blaming you," she jabbed a finger at her spirit guide.

With that the crane unfurled its wings and took off, its wing now healed. Kim followed its flight as it soared through the sky. _Wait, sky? Wasn't she in the Command Center._

She blinked at looked down at the coin that was resting lightly in her palm. With a smile she slipped it over her neck. She couldn't resist touching it one more time to convince herself that it was real.

Kim pushed herself up and began to look for her team, what she found was Andy attempting to do the hula in a makeshift grass skirt and a coconut bra.

Upon hearing her giggle, Andy immediately stopped with a sheepish look on his face and the group turned toward her and cringed, caught in the act.

"What are you doing?" Kim laughed. This was the first time her teammates had seen her so lighthearted.

"Uh," Andy rubbed the back of his neck nervously, "just trying to pass the time, but I guess we should get going now." He hurriedly exchanged his costume for his ninjetti robes.

Everyone laughed as they continued with the last trek of their journey.

"Finally" Jace exclaimed as they reached the monolith.

"Now what," Charissa asked as they all just stood there, the teens obviously having expected something to happen as they received their powers, but nothing.

"Arlight, Kim, think. What did Tommy do?" Kim tried to recall her first time at the monolith. "He walked up to the monolith," she walked up to the monolith, "and then what?"

She rested her head against the cool stone as she tried to remember, "Aha, he touched it. Uh-oh!" She flipped back to her teammates as the four rock warriors came to life.

"Great!" Charissa moaned as the rock warriors charged.

Kim looked around her and noticed that everything seemed exactly the same as last time before her and her friends got there and had their brawl with the rock warriors. So hoping that was true she set her plan in motion.

"Hey ugly!" she kicked one in the face, and took off, the warrior chasing after her, "Andy you're with me." She grabbed him as she ran passed and he followed without a second thought.

One of the warriors tried to bring his weapon down on Jace but he sidestepped him and then prevented the warrior from lifting his weapon back up by putting his foot on it.

"Haha, I've got you now! Oompf," Jace flew back as the rock warrior swung his arm and hit him in the chest.

Rachel quickly stepped in between the rock warrior and her fallen comrade; as Melissa and Charissa took on their own warriors.

Melissa was spending most of her time dodging the pointy mace that the rock warrior was wielding. She knew that in a one on one fight she had no chance against the warrior so in search of an advantage she ran with the warrior in pursuit.

"Here," Kim tossed Andy the wooden plank that Tommy had used years ago as she made it to that same rocky spot. "Help me push this rock over," she was once again gonna 'rock this warrior's world'.

Jace pushed himself up and was getting ready to jump back into the fight when the three of them heard a scream pierce the air. He looked at the two girls who seemed to be doing ok and took off in the direction of the scream.

Melissa found herself cornered with nowhere to go. In front of her was a rock warrior and behind her was a steaming lake.

"Look out!" She hugged the wall as Jace came flying down, swinging on a vine, and kicked the rock warrior into the steaming lake. As he came swinging back though he crashed into Melissa and they crumpled into a tangled heap on the ground.

Charissa was tired as she backpedaled away from the rock warrior's weapon. She jumped and spun around as she bumped into something and came face to face with Rachel. They nodded to each other and face their opponents again, staying back to back.

As soon as their opponent was close enough and in mid-swing, the two dove between the warriors' legs and watched as they destroyed each other with their own weapons.

"Ouch!"

"That's gotta hurt," the two girls grinned and high fived.

"Everyone ok?" Kim asked as they all met back up in front of the stone monolith that had housed the rock warriors. She had expected to fight more than one rock warrior, but was pleasantly surprised at how well her team did.

They all nodded, a bit out of breath, and that's when the ground began to shake. They all grabbed on to each other.

"What now?" Charissa moaned.

"Don't worry, it's good," Kim assured.

The stone wall in front of them lifted up to reveal a pyramid like structure that rolled forward. On it was a circle, and inside that circle a panther and a coyote stood on all fours in front, a dolphin in between them. Behind them stood a polar bear and a kangaroo and pictured in flight above them was a crane. But seemingly watching over these animals above the crane were a falcon, a bear, an ape, a wolf, and a frog.

"Those are our animals," Jace crowed, ignoring the other animals for the moment.

"The Great Power?" Melissa turned in askance to Kim, who only nodded.

The circle began to glow as their animals shot out from it and they could each hear their spirit animal calling to them. They then shot into the coins on their chest as the teens morphed for the first time.

Kim looked upon the familiar suits. They were a bit different though, more armor like and each helmet represented the wearers' animal.

"We did it," the teens cheered as they looked upon their suits in awe.

"Now what do we do?" Andy questioned and as a group they turned to Kim.

"We go home," she smiled though they couldn't see it with her helmet on. She teleported away, the other five copied her actions.

A white owl saw the colorful teleportation streak pass, leaving the planet Phadeos for Earth, "Good luck Rangers."

"Power down," Kim then noticed that she had returned to her apartment and she was no longer with the rest of her teammates, "Oh well," she shrugged. She was too exhausted to do anything about it now and would deal with it tomorrow.

The teens had reappeared in the music store and powered down.

"Isn't this awesome," Jace exclaimed as he could feel the power coursing through him.

"Wow, it's like no time has passed since we left," Andy announced after looking at the clock.

"I'm wiped," Melissa as well as the other teens was beginning to come down from her adrenaline high.

The guys and the girls quickly exchanged numbers and made plans to meet the next day. Then, the girls left as the guys closed up the shop for the night. Once finished, Andy and Jace both hopped into Andy's jeep.

Andy stopped at the intersection and flicked on his right turn signal. Right would take him to Jace's home, left to his.

"Can I crash at your place? No one will notice if I don't come home," Jace didn't really feel like being alone after what they just went through and neither did Andy for that matter so he nodded his head and switched his blinker to left.


	5. What Makes a Team

**Author's Note: Co-written with SunsetBabe17!**

**Disclaimer: Don't own anything belonging to PR!**

Kim swept her hair up into a messy pony as she walked into her kitchen, making a beeline for the already brewed pot of hot coffee waiting for her. She needed her caffeine before she did anything in the morning, or else she'd be useless. After adding the necessary cream and sugar, she brought the steaming mug over to the kitchen table and sat down.

About half a cup of coffee later, she sighed, realizing things needed to get done.

"Alright," she pulled out her cell phone, "time to find those kids." She dialed a familiar number. It rang a few times before someone finally picked up on the other end.

"Hey, I need your help…"

Haley's Cyberspace Café was a bustle of activity, with the after school rush of teenagers pouring in. Charissa groaned, eyeing the crowd as she tied her apron, plastering a fake smile on her face as she prepared to deal with the numerous customers. But the smile soon turned genuine when a familiar mop of brown hair slid onto the stool in front of her.

"Hey, Conner, your usual?" Conner was one of Haley's regulars and Charissa knew that he had also gone to Reefside High, graduating just last year. He had been a big soccer star and played with Rachel's brother, Christopher. Now he went to Reefside Community College. He flashed her a charming grin.

"Not just yet, I'm meeting a few old friends here, so I'll wait for them."

"'Kay, no prob, I'll come back over in a bit," Charissa moved on to the next table, taking their drink orders. As the rush was dying down Charissa made her way over to her friends that were gathered around one of the various computer terminals.

"Find anything yet?" She asked the group, who were supposed to be looking up a way to contact their pink teammate. Melissa groaned, scrolling through a search engine.

"I can't seem to find anything. Her name doesn't even bring up any Olympic news sites." Charissa peered over her shoulder, laughing a little at her friend's frustration.

"Maybe because you spelled her last name wrong." She pointed at the screen where Melissa had typed in the name. "There's no "e" in "Hart." Melissa blushed. How was she supposed to know that? She quickly typed in the correct spelling and a bunch of new hits appeared. She opened the web page depicting information on the current and previous U.S. Olympic teams, searching for the female gymnasts.

Conner saw a familiar glimpse of yellow and white walk through the doors and he waved Kira and Trent over to join him, Ethan, and Dr. O. It was no surprise that the two had come together, they now lived in an apartment together in New York while he went to art school and she worked on her music.

"Hey guys!" Kira joyfully hugged all of her old teammates in greeting, before taking a big gulp of the apple juice they had ordered for her. They were all settled in and catching up with each other, laughing about old times when a cheerful shout interrupted.

"We got it! Charissa!" A rather short male, dressed in red Conner noted, over by the computers exclaimed. He was grinning wildly until a tall blonde near him smacked him upside the head. He frowned and rubbed his head, turning to glare at her. "Ow, Rachel, what was that for?" She just shook her head at him, sighing in exasperation. He watched as Charissa walked over to them. He recognized the two blondes as Charissa's two friends who often came to visit her at work, but he had never actually met them. He had never seen the two boys they were with at Haley's before though. Yet, upon closer inspection he realized he actually knew the brunette. That was Jace Thomason. They had played soccer together at Reefside High. He didn't seem like the type of guy Charissa would get along with. Maybe they were working on a school project? His eyes slid over to his old teacher, who was watching he group across the café with a small frown. They were chattering away excitedly.

Kimberly dropped her bags inside the spacious front hallway of her new home. It was a bit large for her tastes but she figured she'd indulge. Plus, it came with a pool. And the landscaping was just gorgeous.

"Kim," a man struggling with a stack of boxes called to her, "you could help bring in the rest of the boxes. Most of this is _your_ stuff, after all." She giggled.

"Sorry, Billy. I just _love_ our new house!" Billy nervously rubbed the back of his neck.

"Kim, you know, I could easily find a living space of my own. We don't have to live together, and I don't want to feel like a burden to you." Kimberly frowned at her longtime friend.

"Billy! What's the point of being a once world famous gymnast if I can't spend a little of my money on my friends? You're not a burden. Besides, it'd be easier to have you living here with me." She easily answered, reassuring him.

After realizing she was hopeless with technology and research, she had enlisted the help of her genius friend. She needed help tracking down the kids and then she figured she would need more help for her tenure as a new ranger. So she had to tell him all about her journey on Phadeos to reach the great power once again and about her new team. He was always the problem solver when they served together on the Mighty Morphin team and she knew that he helped out and worked in the Command Center for the Zeo Rangers. Her and her team could definitely use his expertise. He would be the Alpha to her Zordon…except she could never live up to that. She frowned, wondering yet again why she was chosen to lead this team instead of those with more leadership experience like Jason or Tommy.

She looked at her watch, startled at the time, realizing the kids were going to come meet her at the house soon. Crap, she wouldn't have time to unpack. Oh well, the least she could do was lug all the boxes into the house.

The rest of her teammates had obviously been doing their research. They had gotten ahold of the number of the gym she worked at, or used to work at now that she moved away, and the secretary, after much persuasion that Kim was not sure how they had gotten the very strict Nancy to give away her cell number, managed to contact her before her and Billy had gotten in touch with them. Billy had done some research for her and found out that they all attended Reefside High, luckily she was the only one residing out of town. Unluckily for her, that meant a move to Reefside was in order. She had never been to Reefside before, at least it was still in California, not too far.

"Is this really the place?" Andy questioned as he drove up the drive of a rather large Victorian house. "Are you sure you got the right address?"

"Yes, I'm sure," Charissa snapped.

"Alright, alright," he grumbled, putting the car in park. "Nose goes on ringing the bell!" Jace was quick to follow his friend's example, sticking his pointer finger on his nose, but the three girls just rolled their eyes. Rachel strode forward and rang the doorbell. Kimberly opened the door with a big smile, ushering them in. The kids openly stared as they walked through the house.

"Oh, don't mind all the boxes. Haven't unpacked yet." Touring through the house they ran into a blonde man around Kim's age. "And here, this is my friend, Billy. He was the blue ranger on my original team and is a technical genius. He's going to help us out while we're rangers, build us gadgets and all that good stuff." Billy hesitantly waved and the teens introduced themselves.

"Alright," Kim looked around at the bare house and its lack of furniture, "it's nice out lets go sit outside." The teens followed her into the backyard and they formed a circle sitting Indian style in the grass.

"So do you all know each other aside from going to school together? Are you friends?" Please say yes, it would make things so much easier Kim thought.

"Err, Jace and I are friends."

"The three of us are best friends." Charissa piped up, "But we just met these two the other day."

"Ok so not like my team, but that's ok," she added hastily due to the looks she was receiving. "I guess today will be more of a get to know each other session then."

"So tell me a little about yourselves," Kim looked around the circle but no one spoke up, "Alright I'll go first, my name is Kimberly Hart, you can call me Kim, and I was a professional gymnast. Now I'm about to open my own gymnastics school right here in Reefside."

After a period of silence in which it was obvious that no one was going to speak up, and thinking this exercise was all rather silly and unnecessary, Charissa rolled her eyes and went next, "I'm Charissa, I play water polo and volleyball, and work at Haley's Cybercafe." She then turned and stared at Rachel who was sitting next to her, clearly indicating that she was finished.

"I'm Rachel and I play volleyball. And I have a rather large family," she shrugged not really sure what to say.

"I'm Melissa and I also play volleyball," there was a long pause as she tried to think of something else to say, but was saved by Andy.

"I'm Andy and I work at a music store with Jace and I like to surf."

"I'm Jace and as Andy mentioned I work at a music store and I play soccer, captain this year," he beamed.

"Ok," Kim frowned; this wasn't quite working out how she thought it would. "So no martial artists in the group, so you will all be at the same skill level fighting wise. That should make training a bit easier I hope."

The teens began fidgeting as they lapsed into an awkward silence. Then, Billy joined the group clearing his throat, "Here are your communicators, you just press the button on the side and you will be able to speak to each other," he handed the watch like devices out, guessing the colors based on their clothing.

"How did you know I was the red ranger?" Jace snapped on the communicator.

"You've already bonded with the power, us rangers have the tendency to wear our ranger color," Billy explained and pulled at his blue t-shirt. Jace blushed, looking at his own shirt and realizing it was indeed red.

"Well it is important that we are able to trust each other and work as a team so I want you guys to start hanging out, getting to know each other. That way if you become friends before the Power Rangers show up it won't be as suspicious if you all of a sudden are seen together all the time around the same time that the Power Rangers show up. Dulcea said we would have some time to prepare. So let's meet here tomorrow afternoon and do some real training." Kim wrapped up the awkward meeting and walked the kids to the door.

"Soo..." Jace tried to break up the awkward silence that had fallen in the car after their meeting with Kim. But, unfortunately he couldn't think of anything to say. He never really was one for words. His friend noticed and picked up the slack.

"I hear Kira Ford's playing at Haley's tonight?" He addressed the group as a whole, but his eyes were focused on a certain blonde in the back.

"Oh, yeah, she used to be pretty popular, drew in large crowds before she left for New York. I saw her performances a few times when I started working there, she's pretty good," Charissa chimed in. She personally had posted bright neon flyers around the Cafe advertising for the up-and-coming singer.

"You guys wanna go?" Andy asked. The three girls looked at each other and Rachel shrugged.

"Why not?"

It didn't take them long to get Haley's Cyberspace Café from Kim's. As soon as they pulled up they could hear Kira's gentle crooning spilling out the door. There was a greater amount of cars in the parking lot than Charissa was used to seeing.

"She must've drawn in quite a crowd tonight."

When they walked in her statement proved to be true. Most of Reefside High must've been there! Charissa saw a familiar red head through the crowd, struggling with a full tray of drinks.

"Charissa, you're here!" Haley shot her an apologetic look. "Interested in helping out a girl? I didn't expect this many people to show up!" Charissa laughed.

"Sure, no problem, I could always use the extra cash."

"Thank you so much, these are going to table 3, do you mind?" Haley handed off the tray to the blonde and took off to make more drinks.

"I'll come join you guys once it slows down," Charissa said and went to deliver the drinks to the girls at table 3. The group of four struggled to make their way through the crowd to an open table. They didn't get very far from the entrance when Jace bumped into a tall brunette, who also happened to be wearing red.

"Sorry man, my bad..." he looked into the face of the guy he bumped. "Conner!"

"Hey Jace! How's it going?" Conner clapped the younger boy on the back, glad to see an old teammate. The dark haired boy that had been standing next to Conner turned around when he heard a familiar name.

"Christopher!" Jace greeted his other former soccer teammate. "What are you guys doing here?" Jace was so caught up greeting his old friends that he didn't even see the look that crossed one of his current teammate's faces.

"I'm just, uh, I'm going to get some air." Melissa told her friends and all but ran for the door. Rachel reached up and smacked her brother on the back of the head.

"Ow! What was that for?" Christopher exclaimed, bringing a hand up to his head. Rachel glared and crossed her arms. Andy looked back at the retreating form of Melissa as Jace also looked to his new friend for an explanation.

"Those two used to date. Let's just say it didn't end well." Christopher rolled his eyes and those watching could tell that this was a worn out argument between the siblings. Charissa chose that moment to walk up to them with a now empty tray.

"Oh, so that's why I just saw Melissa walk out like she was on fire," she gave Christopher a pointed look.

"Should someone make sure she's okay? Questioned Andy, looking at the entrance. As if on cue a high pitch scream could be heard from outside of the cafe.


	6. Battle Ready, Or Not

**Author's Note: Co-written with SunsetBabe17!**

**Disclaimer: Don't own anything belonging to PR!**

Kim ran her hand over the beam in the corner of the room, her once favored piece of equipment. Her brown eyes searched the gymnasium further, taking it all in bathed in the remaining glow of the setting sun filtering in through the many windows lining the walls. It was perfect. Not as fancy and spacious as the gym in Florida where she trained with Coach Schmidt, but larger and more gymnast-friendly than her lonely beam at Ernie's juice bar.

It was in need of a good cleaning though. The gym had been abandoned by its previous owner for a couple of years. The owner had been unable to sell at a decent price because of the poor state of the real estate business. So it had just been sitting here, waiting for one Kimberly Hart to stumble upon it and bring it back to life.

Or so she liked to think.

Glaring florescent lights broke into her thoughts as they lit up the room from above her. Billy stood in the doorway, one hand on the light switch. Blue eyes roved around the room… his eyes met Kim's in surprise.

"This is what you wanted to show me?"

Kim nodded excitedly, a large grin splitting her face.

"It's my new gym!" She announced, clapping her hands together in front of her face.

XXX

The group raced outside after hearing the ear piercing scream. Andy burst through the doors and was immediately hit by a Melissa missile.

"Whoa, we've gotta stop meeting like this," Andy chuckled as Melissa once again landed on top of him.

"Shut up," Melissa groaned and then slapped his chest as he laughed even harder.

"Hey you two, we could really use some help here!" Christopher shouted as he, Connor, Rachel, Charissa, and Jace fought the ugly creatures.

Melissa quickly rolled off of Andy and then helped him up as they began fighting back to back.

"What are these things?" Christopher gasped as he was knocked to the ground by a single punch.

"No clue!" Jace shouted as he narrowly avoided the razor sharp teeth of one as it tried to chow down on his arm. In reality, he realized that these were probably foot soldiers of King Scion but he wasn't about to tell a civilian that. They resembled crocodiles (or maybe alligators but who really knew the difference, maybe he would ask Billy about it later), only on 2 feet. He racked his memory trying to remember if Dulcea had mentioned them, especially anything concerning a weakness. All he could recall though was that King Scion wasn't supposed to be here yet. They were supposed to have more time before all this.

"Maybe you and Connor should go call for help, I think you're the fastest runners here," Jace really wanted to morph.

"And leave you guys here to fight these goons? No way!" Christopher was not leaving his younger sister.

"Yeah, you guys need us!"

"Oomph," Charissa went flying as she caught a tail to the midsection. Rachel ran to cover her from the oncoming foot soldier. So as she was down she decided to call for help, "How does this thing work?" She pressed several buttons in panic and frustration.

"Hello," she started as the voice came through finally.

"Trouble, Cyberspace," was all Charissa managed to get out as the brunette in red, Connor if she remembered quickly made his way to check on her since she had been laying on the cold concrete for a bit too long.

"You ok?"

"Yeah, fine. Just had to catch my breath. Watch out!" This time she ducked the swinging tail as it came at her with Connor who quickly jumped up and counterattacked with a roundhouse kick.

XXX

Kim jumped, startled as the watch on her wrist rang out that old familiar six toned beep. Good thing she had remembered to strap her new communicator onto her wrist this morning, she was no longer used to wearing a watch anymore, but she was sure it would come back to her.

"Hello?" Billy moved close to her to listen in.

"Trouble, Cyberspace!" the voice crackled and faded out.

Kim turned to Billy eyebrow raised.

"They're in Cyberspace!" Billy exclaimed in wonder and astonishment.

"No silly," Kim playfully smacked her old friend's arm, "didn't Charissa mention working at some place called Cyberspace?"

"Oh correct, Haley's Cyberspace," Billy said with a hint of disappointment.

"Know where it is?"

"I have a global positioning system."

Billy pulled the car into the café's parking lot. The two sat there for a couple seconds before he turned to Kim, "Well," he gestured to the fight, "Aren't you going to aid them?"

"Not yet," she shook her head in the negative, "I want to observe them first, see how they fight."

"How very…scientific of you."

"You must be rubbing off on me." Kim shot him a smile and turned back to the fight.

Andy was currently helping Melissa up from the ground, leaving his back wide open as a tail smashed into him and the duo both ended up on the unforgiving ground.

Rachel and Charissa were tag teaming a creature. Rachel was trying to distract it as Charissa came up from behind, but she must not have been very stealthy as the creature quickly swiveled around smacking Rachel with its tail and slashing Charissa with its claws. Charissa cried out and grabbed her arm in pain as Rachel tumbled to the ground, gasping for air.

Jace jumped over the tail of one and smacked its snout as it completed its turn. He then kicked it in the side but didn't retract fast enough as his leg was grabbed in the creature's tiny, but muscular arms. Jace's eyes widened in surprise as he hobbled on one foot, desperately trying to tug his leg out of the creature's grasp. He flew through the air as the creature spun and let him loose. He toppled into Andy and Melissa who were just getting up from their recent meeting with the concrete. They became a trio of tangled limbs as they scrambled to get back to their feet.

Then, her gaze fell on two boys she didn't recognize. One was merely using evasive maneuvers and occasionally throwing rocks at the creature as if he was afraid to get too close.

The last boy was a blur of red as he swiftly dispatched the one he was fighting with a side kick and ran to cover the trio on the ground as two of the creatures advanced on them. He gained their attention as he punched one in the midsection and ducked out of the way of the oncoming tail and the tail smacked the other in the snout, knocking it off balance and he knocked it to the ground by sweeping its legs out from under it.

Before her Rangers got hurt any worse than they already were, Kim morphed and jumped from the car.

She was a pink blur, tossing the creatures aside as she threw punches and kicks every which way and back flipped to avoid the deadly tails.

By the time she was through with them, the crocodile-esque monsters were groaning as they slowly got back to their feet and made a stumbling retreat. Kim beat a hasty retreat as well.

"What was that?" Christopher looked on awestruck as the pink blur vanished.

Connor ignored his friend's question, brows furrowed as he looked into the distance trying to catch glimpse of pink.

"No clue," but as the five of them stood up they gave each other knowing looks behind the two boys' backs.

The seven of them headed back into the café, bruised and bloody.

"Hey Haley mind if we borrow your first aid kit?" Charissa plopped into a stool in front of the counter and smiled at her boss.

Haley gave them a once over and quickly rushed to grab her first aid kit, "What happened?" she handed the kit to her waitress.

"Uh," No one really knew how to explain what had just happened, but Christopher soon launched into a full on explanation, eager to share his tale of heroism.

Haley shot Connor a puzzled look who nodded and Haley frowned, worried that a new evil was in town.

"Here let me help you," Connor grabbed the bandages from Rachel as she struggled to reach the cuts on her back. He quickly cleaned them out and bandaged them with an experienced hand from his Ranger days.

"We should probably get going," Jace stood up and headed for the exit.

Charissa stood up and began to tie her apron back on when a hand stopped her, "I think you've had enough excitement for one day. Go home and get some rest Charissa I can handle it."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, now go," Haley ushered her employee out the door.

"Thanks!" She ran to catch up with the others before they left without her.

"Hey guys, wait up!" Charissa grabbed her ribs as she realized running probably wasn't a good idea, as it jostled her bruised ribs.

"Don't you have work?" Melissa asked wondering what her friend was doing there.

"Haley let me go. To go home and rest," Charissa laughed along with the others, knowing that they were not going home to rest.

When they arrived at Kim's house, she led them to the pool house were they found Billy sitting in front of what appeared to be a computer, typing away.

"So?" Kim asked her old friend as the teens sat on the couches across the room.

"Everything appears normal, no signs of supernatural activity," Billy swiveled his chair around to face the new Power Rangers while Kim leaned against the console noting how tired they looked.

"What were those things?" Jace decided to get right to the point.

"After searching through the databanks, we have discovered the identity of the creatures that you just faced off with," Billy began to explain before Kim cut him off, not wanting to sit through Billy's long explanation and then having to repeat themselves after the teens fell asleep half way through it.

"Long story short, those were King Scion's foot soldiers: Crocs. Basically crocodiles with some enhancements."

Jace nodded, that answered his earlier question and confirmed his fears, "So what are they doing here now?"

Kim turned to Billy, "It appears that King Scion was testing Earth's defenses. His ship is still light years away."

"And we sure showed them," Charissa rolled her eyes sarcastically and leaned back into the couch in defeat.

"Yeah, some Power Rangers we are," Melissa agreed with her teammate.

"Hey now," Kim needed to boost her team's morale or they were toast before they even started, "we still have time. You guys are just new and inexperienced. I know we didn't win our first battle against our evil's foot soldiers. We had to morph which you guys didn't have the option to do since there were innocents around. Everyone has a rough time when they are first starting out."

"Really?" Andy looked skeptical and Kim ignored the fact that her team had it a bit easier since some of them were into martial arts and already knew how to fight.

XXX

Haley walked back behind the counter and gave Connor a pointed look.

"Uh, I should probably go too," Connor patted Christopher on the back, "See ya around dude."

Once he was safe in his car, Connor dialed a familiar number on his phone.

"Hey Dr. O," Connor leaned back in his seat; this was going to be one long conversation.


End file.
